State Finds Discrepancy In Manchester Agency's 2011 Raffle

MANCHESTER — — A state investigation into an Eighth Utilties District raffle found a $3,778 discrepancy between the amount deposited from ticket sales and the amount that district officials verified.

State Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein is reviewing the case and will make a final determination in about two weeks, agency spokeswoman Claudette Carveth said Friday. Asked what sanctions the district faces, Carveth said she could not comment. Local police are continuing their investigation into the matter, Capt. Christopher Davis said.

The utility district's fire department held a raffle for a new car from May 25 to Aug. 26, 2011. Such raffles are subject to state regulation.

The organization reported that 345 of 350 tickets were sold, for total rafffle sales of $51,750. However, investigators found that total raffle money deposited in a bank account was $47,972. Also, 25 tickets were missing, state investigators found.

"At this point, it is difficult to substantiate whether the tickets were unsold and misplaced or whether the tickets and money were misappropriated," state investigators reported. "However, the organization completed the verified statement as though they felt the tickets had been sold."

The investigation also found lax administration.

"There were no controls in place to verify the correct amount of money was being deposited," investigators reported.

Fire department officials who verified the $51,750 deposit were Robert Eschmann, Robert Froelich, Charles King and the former fire chief, Paul Litrico, according to the state report.

Litrico was arrested late last year on unrelated charges of larceny and false entry by an agent of a public community. That pending case centers on documents used to certify tax breaks for district firefighters. Police say Litrico claimed the motor vehicle tax break for himself, his wife, then Assistant Fire Chief Mary Beth Litrico, and other firefighters who were ineligible.